If today’s match at Dens Park was anything to go by, this is going to be a long, nerve-jangling month for Celtic supporters.
Dundee gave the Bhoys a good fight on Tayside despite eventually sinking to a 2-1 defeat, as James Forrest rolled back the years to show he has the desire to lift more trophies.
Celtic didn’t ever look at risk of losing the fixture but as the clock ticked towards 90 – during a lacklustre performance overall – understandable anxiety about dropping points was felt.
Thankfully, the reigning champions showed why they are top of the table, managing to dig in and defend their box against any more silly conceded goals after Adam Idah swiped the ball into his own net.
Celtic remain three points clear of Rangers with just four games to go and that’s a fantastic position to be in.
Brendan Rodgers urges Celtic to aim for more
Far from settling at the top of the table though, Brendan Rodgers has urged his team to push for more. He doesn’t want Celtic resting on thoughts of a potential title win.
He stated in a post-match media conference [Celtic Way]: “I said to the players afterwards that we were on top but we keep climbing. Let’s not settle on just being top of the league. We keep climbing, we want to achieve more, score as many goals as we can and be as strong as we can defensively.
“Now I am really excited about next week against Hearts at Celtic Park. 60,000, the atmosphere will be amazing, the pitch will be amazing and hopefully, we can play a level of football and get another really good result.”
Celtic boss calls for ‘courage’ in title race
On what’s needed to get over the line in a title race, Rodgers has told his players not to overthink the situation and keep things simple.
The Bhoys boss continued: “You’ve just got to have that courage to take the ball. There is always going to be pressure playing for Celtic at the end of a season in particular when it is tight. You just keep your calmness and take the ball, pass it, show that personality in the game.
“It’s just do the basics right at this stage of the season. Sometimes you can overthink it and we have some players who have maybe not been in this situation before. Just do your fundamentals well and if you can take care of that we will have a great end to the season.”
It’s strong messaging from a manager who has done it all before in Scotland. Trophy heads on – that’s what Rodgers said last week.
Pretty football may be hard to come by with some much pressure on the players’ shoulders. But winning is what matters in April and May. Bring on the next four games!
